Chest

ABSTRACT

A cabinet having a pair of side panels interconnected by top and rear panels and each provided with a rearwardly angled portion along the upper portion of its front edge. A shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall is swingably connected to said side panels for movement between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on the upper ends of the side panels and an extended position in which said shelf assembly projects outwardly from said side panels with said top panel and top wall in coplanar relationship. Said side walls are also provided with rearwardly angled edges engageable with said rearwardly angled panel portions for supporting said shelf assembly in extended position.

United States Patent Smith CHEST [72] lnventor: Lee E. Smith, c/o Smith Cabinet Manufacturing C0., lnc., Salem,

[22] Filed: Jan. 13, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 106,166

[52] US. Cl ..312/279, 217/60 R, 312/315 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 81/00 [58] Field of Search ..312/284, 279, 282, 315, 313, 312/290, 326, 327, 328; 108/34, 35; 217/60 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 105,512 7/1970 Sullivan ..3l2/3l5 X 117,359 7/1871 Wolfinger ..312/20 810,294 l/1906 Meaker ..312/315 1,082,690 12/1913 Gedeon ..3l2/30 51 Nov. 21, 1972 2,499,873 3/1950 Palmer,Jr. ..3l2/3l5 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall AttorneyTrask, Jenkins & Hanley [57] ABSTRACT A cabinet having a pair of side panels interconnected by top and rear panels and each provided with a rearwardly angled portion along the upper portion of its front edge. A shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall is swingably connected to said side panels for movement between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on the upper ends of the side panels and an extended position in which said shelf assembly projects outwardly from said side panels with said top panel and top wall in coplanar relationship. Said side walls are also provided with rearwardly angled edges engageable with said rearwardly angled panel portions for supporting said shelf assembly in extended position.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures cuas'r SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one form of the invention, there is provided a cabinet having a pair of side panels interconnected by top and rear panels. The top panel is disposed below the top edges of the side panels, and said side panels have the upper portions of their front edges angled rearwardly.

A shelf assembly is mounted on the cabinet and comprises a pair of side walls interconnectedby a top wall. The side walls lie in the vertical planes of the side panels and are hingedly connected thereto at the junctures of the top and front edges of said side panels. The shelf assembly is thus swingable between a retracted position in which the side walls are supported on the upper edges of the side panels with the top wall disposed above and parallel to the top panel and an extended position in which said top and side walls project forwardly from said side panels with said top wall and top panel in coplanar relationship. Said side walls have rearwardly angled front edges which are engageable with the rearwardly angled front edge portions of the side panels when said shelf assembly is in extended position for supporting said shelf assembly in said extended position.

Conveniently, a pad is carried on said top panel and comprises a first section mounted on said top panel and having a second section hingedly connected thereto whereby said second pad section is swingable between a retracted position overlying said first section and an extended position in which it rests on said top wall when said shelf assembly is in its extended position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1 but showing the shelf assembly in its extended position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The cabinet forming the invention comprises a pair of side panels and 11 interconnected at their rear edges by a back panel 13 and adjacent their upper ends by a top panel 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the back panel 13 projects above, and the top panel 14 is disposed in a plane below, the upper edges 15 of the side panels. The front edge 17 of the top panel 14 is disposed in the same vertical plane as the front edges 18 of the side panels. For reasons that will become more apparent hereinafter, the upper portions of the front edges of the side panels 10 and 11 are angled rearwardly, as at 22, with the lower ends of said portions 22 lying in the same plane as the upper face of the top panel 14.

The side panels are also interconnected by, and serve as supports for, a plurality of drawers 24. Conveniently,

said drawers and their guides can be of any desired construction.

A shelf assembly is swingably mounted on the upper end of the cabinet and comprises a top wall interconnecting a pair of side walls 26 and 27 lying in the same vertical planes as the side panels 10 and 11. As shown, the lower edges 28 of the side walls 26 and 27 at the forward ends thereof are hinged, as at 30, to the upper edges 15 of the side panels. The forward edges 32 of the side walls 26 and 27 are angled rearwardly at the same angle as, and have the same length as, the angled portions 22 of the side panels 10 and 1 1.

Thus, the shelf assembly is supported in a retracted position on the cabinet with the lower edges 28 of the side walls 26 and 27 resting on the upper edges 15 of the side panels 10 and 11 and the top wall 25 resting on the back panel 13. In such retracted position, the top wall 25 and top panel 14 are disposed in vertically spaced parallel planes.

The shelf assembly is swingable from its retracted position shown in FIG. 1 into its extended position shown in FIG. 2 in which it projects forwardly from the cabinet with the upwardly presented faces of the top wall 25 and top panel 14 in coplanar relationship. The shelf assembly is supported in such extended position by the angled wall edges 32 abutting the angled panel portions 22 and the top wall edge 33 abutting the top panel edge 17.

Conveniently, a pad 35 is carried on the top panel 14 and comprises a first section 36 hingedly connected to a secondsection 37. As shown, the sections 36 and 37 have cross-sectional extents corresponding to top panel 14 and top wall 25, respectively. Thus, when the shelf assembly is moved into its extended position, the section 37 can be moved from a folded position overlying the section 36 to an extended position in which it overlies the top wall 25. With the shelf assembly and pad so extended, the top of the cabinet can serve as a dressing table for an infant.

As best shown in FIG. 4, a strap 40 extends over the pad section 36 with its front end projecting through a slot 43 in the pad at the juncture of the pad sections 36 and 37 and around the front of the top panel 14 and connected to the bottom of said panel by a screw 44. The rear end of said strap extends through an opening 45 in the back panel 13 immediately above the panel 14 and is connected to the rear face of panel 13 by a screw 46. A safety strap 48, conveniently provided with a buckle 49, extends under the strap 40 for retaining an infant on the pad. Desirably, the straps 40 and 48 are not fixedly interconnected so that the strap 48 can he slid along strap 40 for retaining the infant at different positions from the front edge of the extended shelf assembly.

While the invention has been described as a cabinet and dressing table for an infant, it is to be understood, of course, that it may have a variety of different uses. For example, the cabinet can easily serve as an extendable desk by removing the straps 40 and 48 and the pad 35.

I claim:

1. A cabinet, comprising a pair of side panels each having an upper edge and a front edge, a rearwardly angled portion on said front edge at its juncture with said top edge, means interconnecting said side panels including a back panel and a top panel, and a shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall, said side walls lying in the planes of said side panels and hingedly connected thereto whereby said shelf assembly is swingable between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on said panel upper edges and an extended position in which said top and side walls project outwardly from said side and top panels with said top wall in coplanar relationship with said top panel, each of said side walls having a front edge angled rearwardly at the same angle as said rearwardly angled portions for supporting said shelf assembly in its extended position.

2. A cabinet as set forth in claim 1 in which said top panel has an upper face lying in the plane of the lower edges of said rearwardly angled portions and a front face lying in the plane of said panel front edges, and said top wall is disposed in abutting engagement with front edges of said side panels and front face of said top panel when said shelf assembly is in extended position.

3. A cabinet, comprising a pair of side panels each having an upper edge and a front edge, a rearwardly angled portion on said front edge at its juncture with said top edge, means interconnecting said side panels including a back panel and a top panel, a shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall, said side walls lying in the planes of said side panels and hingedly connected thereto whereby said shelf assembly is swingable between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on said panel upper edges and an extended position in which said top and side walls project outwardly from said side and top panels with said top wall in coplanar relationship with said top panel, each of said side walls having a front edge angled rearwardly at the same angle as said rearwardly angled portions for supporting said shelf assembly in its extended position and a pad having a first section interconnected to a second section carried on said top panel, said pad being movable between a folded position in which said second section is supported on said first section and an extended position in which said second section is supported on said top wall when said shelf assembly is in its extended position.

4. A cabinet as set forth in claim 3 with the addition that means are provided for fixedly mounting said first pad section on said top panel.

5. A cabinet as set forth in claim 4 in which said means comprises a strap extending over said first pad section and having one of its ends extending through an opening in said back panel and connected to the rear face thereof and its opposite end extending through said pad between said first and second pad sections and connected to the bottom face of said top panel.

6. A cabinet as set forth in claim 4 in which said means comprises a first strap extending over said first pad section and having one of its ends extending through an opening in said back panel and connected to the rear face thereof and its opposite end extending through said pad between said first and second pad sections and connected to the bottom face of said top panel and a second strap slidably carried between said first strap and first pad section for retaining an infant on said pad. 

1. A cabinet, comprising a pair of side panels each having an upper edge and a front edge, a rearwardly angled portion on said front edge at its juncture with said top edge, means interconnecting said side panels including a back panel and a top panel, and a shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall, said side walls lying in the planes of said side panels and hingedly connected thereto whereby said shelf assembly is swingable between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on said panel upper edges and an extended position in which said top and side walls project outwardly from said side and top panels with said top wall in coplanar Relationship with said top panel, each of said side walls having a front edge angled rearwardly at the same angle as said rearwardly angled portions for supporting said shelf assembly in its extended position.
 1. A cabinet, comprising a pair of side panels each having an upper edge and a front edge, a rearwardly angled portion on said front edge at its juncture with said top edge, means interconnecting said side panels including a back panel and a top panel, and a shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall, said side walls lying in the planes of said side panels and hingedly connected thereto whereby said shelf assembly is swingable between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on said panel upper edges and an extended position in which said top and side walls project outwardly from said side and top panels with said top wall in coplanar Relationship with said top panel, each of said side walls having a front edge angled rearwardly at the same angle as said rearwardly angled portions for supporting said shelf assembly in its extended position.
 2. A cabinet as set forth in claim 1 in which said top panel has an upper face lying in the plane of the lower edges of said rearwardly angled portions and a front face lying in the plane of said panel front edges, and said top wall is disposed in abutting engagement with front edges of said side panels and front face of said top panel when said shelf assembly is in extended position.
 3. A cabinet, comprising a pair of side panels each having an upper edge and a front edge, a rearwardly angled portion on said front edge at its juncture with said top edge, means interconnecting said side panels including a back panel and a top panel, a shelf assembly having a pair of side walls interconnected by a top wall, said side walls lying in the planes of said side panels and hingedly connected thereto whereby said shelf assembly is swingable between a retracted position in which said side walls are supported on said panel upper edges and an extended position in which said top and side walls project outwardly from said side and top panels with said top wall in coplanar relationship with said top panel, each of said side walls having a front edge angled rearwardly at the same angle as said rearwardly angled portions for supporting said shelf assembly in its extended position and a pad having a first section interconnected to a second section carried on said top panel, said pad being movable between a folded position in which said second section is supported on said first section and an extended position in which said second section is supported on said top wall when said shelf assembly is in its extended position.
 4. A cabinet as set forth in claim 3 with the addition that means are provided for fixedly mounting said first pad section on said top panel.
 5. A cabinet as set forth in claim 4 in which said means comprises a strap extending over said first pad section and having one of its ends extending through an opening in said back panel and connected to the rear face thereof and its opposite end extending through said pad between said first and second pad sections and connected to the bottom face of said top panel. 